We never knew how luxurious a home and garden could be until we visited our extended family that lives outside of the United States. My brother-in-law’s parents live in a small town in France. We went to their home last summer when my brother-in-law invited us along on the trip he planned with my sister and their children. They provided the place for us to stay in his family’s guest house. That meant that we had extra money left over that we would have spent on housing for the trip, so we were able to treat everyone to a nice meal each day we were vacationing together.

It might be the architecture they had that inspired me to make changes in my home. It might also be that seeing other places made me realize how beautiful I can make our home. It certainly helped me gain an appreciation for the finer things in life. I haven’t been back to France yet, but we have successfully created some of the comforts we enjoyed abroad in our own home and garden. It wasn’t until our trip to France that we experienced an outdoor sauna that was at a house. I had seen them at the gym and at hotels, but I never saw a personal sauna until we experienced it in France.

We had to find a way to have our own, but our yard didn’t look like it could fit that sort of thing. We have a lot of property at our home, but we don’t have any hills or trees. We had to create some of the landscape that surrounds a sauna in order to feel that it was right for our property. Otherwise, it would look like an outdoor shower. There’s a huge difference between a garden hose spraying water on everyone and a steam shower that wealthy people enjoy. We had to have the right set up in our yard to make room for the perfect sauna and shower.

We decided to bring in some plants, and we hired a landscaper to help us select the right types that would grow in our ecosystem. The shrubs we picked work well to hide the outdoor amenities that we have successfully had installed. They would have looked completely ridiculous if we didn’t add plant life to help guests feel at home. When you are under the hot water, it feels like you are out in the natural elements. It’s very soothing to the senses.

Take it from a guy who never would have tried this type of luxury outside of the gym. When you have it at your own home, you will feel like you are in nature, and your neighbors will admire how much you care about your home. Pretty soon, other people will be upgrading their home amenities to look as nice as your yard. Everyone around will say that you inspired the change they are feeling when they get home from work to relax in their backyard.…